Volume 112, Issue 5 pp. 743-755
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Effects of tertiary palliative care on the pattern of end-of-life care in patients with hematologic malignancies in Korea

Dong Hyun Kim

Dong Hyun Kim

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Jeonghwan Youk

Jeonghwan Youk

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Ja Min Byun

Ja Min Byun

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Youngil Koh

Youngil Koh

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Junshik Hong

Junshik Hong

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Tae Min Kim

Tae Min Kim

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Inho Kim

Inho Kim

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Sung-Soo Yoon

Sung-Soo Yoon

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

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Shin Hye Yoo

Corresponding Author

Shin Hye Yoo

Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Correspondence

Shin Hye Yoo, Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.

Email: [email protected]

Dong-Yeop Shin, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.

Email: [email protected]

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Dong-Yeop Shin

Corresponding Author

Dong-Yeop Shin

Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Correspondence

Shin Hye Yoo, Center for Palliative Care and Clinical Ethics, Seoul National University Hospital, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.

Email: [email protected]

Dong-Yeop Shin, Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Center for Medical Innovation, Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, 101, Daehak-ro, Jongro-gu, Seoul 03080, Republic of Korea.

Email: [email protected]

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First published: 28 December 2023

Abstract

Introduction

Patients with hematologic malignancies (HMs) often face challenges in accessing palliative care (PC) and receiving quality end-of-life (EOL) care. We examined factors associated with referrals to tertiary PC and the effects of tertiary PC on EOL care in patients with HMs.

Method

We included patients with HMs who were admitted to a university-affiliated hospital and died during hospitalization between January 2018 and December 2021. We investigated the receipt of PC consultations, patient characteristics, and EOL care indicators.

Results

Overall, 487 patients were included in the analysis, with 156 (32%) undergoing PC consultation. Sex, residence, disease status, and admission purpose were factors associated with the likelihood of PC consultation, and there has been an increasing trend in the frequency of consultations in recent cases. A higher proportion of patients who received PC completed advance statements and life-sustaining treatment documents. Patients who received PC had lower rates of aggressive EOL care, including chemotherapy and intensive care unit admission, than those who did not receive PC. Notably, PC reduced the number of blood transfusions.

Conclusion

Tertiary PC aims to reduce aggressive EOL care through patient-centered goal-of-care discussions. Therefore, there is an imperative need for concerted efforts toward seamless integration of PC.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT

None of the authors have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The datasets generated during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

The full text of this article hosted at iucr.org is unavailable due to technical difficulties.